Bike jump

ABSTRACT

The bike jump has a generally wedge shaped body with upwardly inclined top surface having a wide lower entrance zone and a pointed jump departure zone from which the bike departs for maximum leap distance for a selected bike speed.

United States Patent Bynder et a1.

1151 3,663,015 1451 May 16,1972

[ BIKE JUMP [72] Inventors: Samuel Fred Bynder; Milton T. Swimmer, both of 10609 Gothic Street, Granada Hills, Calif. 91344 221 Filed: Dec. 17,1970

1211 Appl.No.: 99,059

52 u.s.c1. ..272/1R 51 1111.0 ..A63g31/00 5s FieldofSearch ..272/lR,3,21,23,25,56.5, 272/565 ss, 59; 273/199 A, 25, 26; 104/54;

[56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS FOREIGN PATENTS OR APPLICATIONS 14,185 6/1903 Austria ..272/66 160,193 4/1905 Germany .....272/66 352,703 5/1922 Germany ..272/ 66 1,012,548 7/1957 Germany ..272/66 1,032,140 6/1958 Germany .....272/66 13,339 7/1904 Great Britain ..l04/54 OTHER PUBLICATIONS New Mathematical Diversions from Scientific American by Martin Gardner; Sept. 1967; page 233 Primary Examiner-Anton O. Oechsle Assistant Examiner-Richard J. Apley Attorney-Miketta, Glenny, Poms & Smith ABSTRACT The bike jump has a generally wedge shaped body with upwardly inclined top surface having a wide lower entrance zone and a pointed jump departure zone from which the bike departs for maximum leap distance for a selected bike speed.

6 Claims, 6 Drawing Figures BIKE JUMP This invention relates to vehicle jumps, and more particularly to such jumps for bicycles, motorcycles and other aligned wheel vehicles.

Cycles jumping has long been popular with the more adventurous cycle riders. Kids on their bicycles seek natural bumps in the road or raised areas such as curbs or steps to ride over with their bicycles so as to jump through the air. Motorcyclists seek the roughest terrain with the steepest banks because of the skill required and the thrill of jumping when riding over this terrain. With paved roads, the natural jumps for cycle riders have for the most part disappeared, and artificial jumps are needed for cycle jumping.

Such an artificial cycle jump could be a simple ramp with a right approach area and a wide take-off-area raised above the approach area. However, such a jump requires only high speed and very little skill to obtain the greatest leap distance. Thus, the rider who travels the greatest leap distance is the fastest rider. Riders would soon tire of such a simple jump and seek a jump design that requires more skill and concentration, e.g. a jump where the line of approach as well as the speed of the cycle determines the maximum leap distance, just as it does in jumping from bumps or other natural take-off points.

Therefore, it is a primary object of this invention to provide a cycle jump requiring a proper line of approach and high speed for maximum leap distance.

Other and additional objects of this invention are to provide such a jump which may be used in flat areas whether paved or unpaved. to provide such a jump which is readily portable, to provide such a jump which will remain stationary on the generally flat area without being anchored thereto, and to provide such a jump which is economical to manufacture, simple to position, and which demonstrates the skill of the rider by imparting the greatest leap distance to the cycle which has the best approach line with the greatest speed.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION Generally the jump according to this invention for imparting a variable jumping height and distance to a wheel cycle moving at a selected speed thereover and includes a generally wedge shaped body having an upwardly inclined top surface with a wide lower entrance zone, and a converging jump departure zone reaching a maximum height at the optimum axis of travel thereover whereby a cycle leaving the jump departure zone at the point of convergence will achieve maximum leap distance for a selected cycle speed. The approach portion of the top surface may be quadralinear in shape, or the top surface may be triangular in shape. Visual guide marks may be provided to indicate the optimum axis of travel leading to the point of convergence of the departure zone. The body member may be hollow to provide light weight. The top surface of the body member may be inclined upwardly at a suitable angle to provide ajump which will remain stationary while the cycles pass thereover.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the jump according to this invention;

FIG. 2 is an enlarged top view of the preferred embodiment of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a side cross-sectional view taken along the plane IIIIII of FIG. 2 showing the internal construction of the bike jump according to this invention;

FIG. 4 is a perspective view similar to FIG. 1 of an alternative preferred embodiment of the bike jump according to this invention;

FIG. 5 is an enlarged top view of the alternative preferred embodiment of the bike jump; and

FIG. 6 is a side cross-sectional view taken along the plane VI-VI of FIG. 5 showing the internal construction of the alternative preferred embodiment of FIG. 4.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Referring now to FIGS. 1 to 4, the bike jump according to this invention is generally indicated by the numeral 10. The bike jump 10 may be positioned on a surface either paved or unpaved, and may be riden over by a wheeled cycle such as a bicycle, motorcycle, or any other cycle having wheels aligned along a single longitudinal axis. The jump 10 will impart a variable jumping height and distance to the cycle moving thereover corresponding to the speed and line of approach. As the most skillful rider will have the best combination of line of approach and greatest speed, the greatest leap distance will indicate the best rider.

Generally the bike jump 10 according to this invention has a vertically wedge shaped body 15 with a top surface 20 having an entrance zone 21 and a jump departure zone 23 with a point of convergence 25 along the optimum axis of travel whereby a cycle leaving the jump departure zone at the point of convergence will achieve maximum leap distance for a selected cycle speed.

The wedge shaped body 15 has a top 16 and side 17 which define a downwardly opening cavity 18 giving a light construction to the body 15. The sides 17 may be integrally formed with the top, or formed separately and secured thereto by conventional means. If required, suitable braces (not shown) may be provided from the side 17 to the top 16 to prevent the collapse of the top 16.

The top 16 is provided with a smooth top surface 20 which is inclined upwardly. In practice this incline may be at a 6 inch rise for a 24 inch long top surface 20 or about l5 to the bottom of the body 15. The lower portion of the top surface is an entrance zone 21 which commences with a transverse edge 22. The transverse edge 22 is preferably rounded to merge smoothly with the surface on which the support rests. The upper portion of the top surface is the jump departure zone 23. The jump departure zone 23 is defined by the upper edges 24 of the side 17 which converge inwardly and upwardly towards a point of convergence 25 along the optimum axis of travel 26. The point of convergence 25 of the jump departure zone 23 is the maximum height of the top surface above the surface on which the body member rests. The point of convergence 25 is also the maximum distance forward that the jump 10 extends.

In order to aid the rider in determining the optimum axis of travel 26, visual guide marks 30 are provided on the top surface 20. In the preferred embodiment, the visual guide marks 30 have an arrowhead 31 directed towards the point of convergence 25. As an additional aid, the visual guide marks 30 include a circle 32 with a center eye 33 located along the optimum axis of travel 26 to aid in aligning the cycle on the wedge shaped body 15.

The bike jump 10 is shown illustratively in two overall shapes, a triangular shape in FIG. 1 through 3 and a quintazoidal shape shown in FIGS. 4-6. The advantage of the triangular shape is its simplicity for it can be assembled from three parts cut from a flat sheet of material.

The quintazoidal shape provides more sophistication to the design and illustratively shows different variations. One of these variations is the provision of a holding means 35 in the form of a rubber strip 36 along the lower edge of the sides. This trip 36 will provide additional grip on the surface on which the jump rests, to prevent the jump from sliding forward.

Another of the variations is the provision of a compound curve 38 shown illustrated as a convex surface 39 at the forward edge of the departure zone 23. This convex surface 39 provides a gentle ridge along the optimum axis of travel 26 which tends to direct the bike away from the optimum axis of travel 26 unless the bike is aligned therewith, thus requiring greater skill on the part of the rider to obtain the maximum leap distance.

In use, the bike jump 10 is positioned on a surface such as a paved driveway, road, etc. with the optimum axis of travel pointing in a direction the rider wishes to jump. The riders individually ride their cycles along the driveway towards the jump to attain the highest speed possible-before entering the lower entrance 2one21. The rider trys to guide his cycle along a path which is as close to the optimum axis of travel 26 as his skill permits. The cycle passes from the entrance zone 21 to the jump departure zone 23 while the movement of the cycle is maintained as closed to the optimum axis of travel 26 as the riders skill permits. The cycle will then leave the jump departure zone and be propelled from the body into the air until gravity pulls the bike back to the driveway surface. The point at which the cycle touches the ground can be marked and measured. I

if the cycle is not along the optimum axis of travel 26 as it passes over the jump 10 but on another path, for example a path of travel parallel to the optimum axis of travel 26, the bike leaves the top surface at a point along the upper edge 24 that is lower than the point of convergence 25 and also is rearwardly of the point of convergence 25. With such a take-off, the rider could not hope to travel as far through the air, as a rider who took off from the point of convergence, unless his speed was substantially greater. Thus the speed and actual path of travel of the cycle determine the leap distance of the cycle. Thus the skill of the rider determines the leap distance which forms an excellent basis for competition among riders.

Thus, the jump according to this invention provides a bike jump requiring a proper line of approach and high speed to obtain a maximum leap distance.-

We claim:

1. A portable competition jump for imparting variable jumping height and distance to a wheeled cycle moving at a selected speed thereover, comprising:

a generally wedge shaped body having an upwardly inclined top surface with a selected width forming a lower entrance 'zone at the lower portion of the top surface, a jump departure zone at the upper portion of the top surface,

the jump departure zone being defined by side edges upwardly and forwardly converging toward an optimum axis of travel of the top surface and reaching a maximum height and maximum forward extension at said axis, wherein said top surface includes visual guide marks leading to the point of convergence of the departure zone; and

whereby a cycle leaving the jump departure zone at the point of convergence of said side edges with said axis will achieve maximum forward leap distance from the point of convergence for a selected cycle speed.

2. The invention as in claim 1 wherein the top surface has an approach portion quadralinear in shape, and the jump departure zone is triangular in shape.

3. The invention as in claiml wherein the top surface is triangular in shape.

4. The invention as in claim 1 wherein the body member is hollow.

5. The invention as in claim 1 wherein the top surface has a compound curve over at least a portion of it.

6. The invention as in claim 1 wherein the body is provided with holding means for holding the body on a surface where positioned. 

1. A portable competition jump for imparting variable jumping height and distance to a wheeled cycle moving at a selected speed thereover, comprising: a generally wedge shaped body having an upwardly inclined top surface with a selected width forming a lower entrance zone at the lower portion of the top surface, a jump departure zone at the upper portion of the top surface, the jump departure zone being defined by side edges upwardly and forwardly converging toward an optimum axis of travel of the top surface and reaching a maximum height and maximum forward extension at said axis, wherein said top surface includes visual guide marks leading to the point of convergence of the departure zone; and whereby a cycle leaving the jump departure zone at the point of convergence of said side edges with said axis will achieve maximum forward leap distance from the point of convergence for a selected cycle speed.
 2. The invention as in claim 1 wherein the top surface has an approach portion quadralinear in shape, and the jump departure zone is triangular in shape.
 3. The invention as in claim 1 wherein the top surface is triangular in shape.
 4. The invention as in claim 1 wheRein the body member is hollow.
 5. The invention as in claim 1 wherein the top surface has a compound curve over at least a portion of it.
 6. The invention as in claim 1 wherein the body is provided with holding means for holding the body on a surface where positioned. 